The present invention relates generally to computer controlled railroad locomotive brake equipment and more specifically to a system redesign.
The availability of computer controlled railroad brake equipment includes the CCB equipment available from New York Air Brake Corporation. The CCB locomotive brake control equipment is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,172,316 and is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. The numbers used throughout this application correspond to that used in this patent for sake of clarity and consistency. With computerized and electric control, the operation of the locomotive and the train must be safe for failure of any electrically controlled portion.
With the addition of electropneumatic braking and other electric subsections, there has been a proliferation of new onboard locomotive subsystems. This has resulted in a squeeze of real estate available in the locomotive. Since the interconnection of these various subsystems have been added one by one, it has increased the complexity of their interconnection and their weight. For example, the complexity of the brake control portion or pneumatic control unit 62 of the CCB is illustrated in FIG. 3. The manifold is complex and wiring must be connected to each of the individual electrical valves and transducers. There are thirty-four line replaceable units mounted to this manifold. Since the locomotive cannot carry thirty-four of the individual components, the whole locomotive must be taken into a shop for repair.
The complete brake control portion 62 can be removed and a new one inserted. This takes a substantial amount of time because of the number of wires and interconnections for the electrical components. The brake control portion 62 would then have to be tested and the individual parts replaced. Also, the brake control portion 62 is not adaptable to adding new functions nor to removing existing functions as the design requirements change in future locomotives.
With respect to real estate occupied by the CCB, it is 28,000 cubic inches. Another available locomotive brake control system known as EPIC from Westinghouse Air Brake Corporation has a volume of 14,000 cubic inches. With increased sophistication within the locomotive, there is also a need for locomotive system integration to allow communication and control between the various systems and subsystems.
The control unit of the present invention is a modular locomotive brake control unit having a manifold with electropneumatic modules each including electropneumatic and pneumatic elements removably mounted thereon each as a unit from the manifold. An electropneumatic equalization reservoir module controls the pressure at the equalization port. A brake pipe module controls brake pipe port pressure in response to the equalization reservoir port. An electropneumatic independent brake module controls pressure at the independent brake port as a locomotive brake signal. An electropneumatic brake signal module provides a pneumatic train brake signal. A controller controls the electropneumatic modules.
Each electropneumatic unit includes an electropneumatic supply valve and an electropneumatic exhaust valve and preferably an electropneumatic valve having a first input connected to the supply and exhaust valves. The electropneumatic modules includes a common block having a first interface with the manifold and including the electropneumatic valve and the supply and exhaust valves and includes an auxiliary block mounted to the common block having module specific pneumatic and electrical elements mounted on the auxiliary block.
The auxiliary block includes at least one transducer and one test port. An electropneumatic actuated module is also removably mounted to the manifold to control an actuate port.
The brake pipe module includes a pneumatic relay response to the equalization reservoir to control the brake pipe port includes a pneumatic emergency vent valve responsive to brake pipe pressure for venting the brake pipe. The brake pipe module also includes an electropneumatic cut-off valve between the relay and the brake pipe port. The brake pipe module also includes a first and second electropneumatic valves for venting the brake port in response to electrical signals from an operator controller and the system controller.
The brake cylinder module includes a pneumatic relay responsive to the higher of the train brake or locomotive brake signals provided to a selected valve. An electropneumatic resetting dynamic brake interlock is connected between the brake signal and input of the selector valve. A pneumatic dead-in-tow module is also mounted to the manifold and includes a pneumatic valve responsive to the brake pipe port to provide a backup pneumatic train brake signal. A pneumatic bailoff valve on the dead-in-tow module is responsive to an actuating port to selectively connect the backup train signal or an exhaust to the brake cylinder module. An electric non-resetting dynamic brake interlock in the dead-in-tow module is connected in the control input of the bailoff valve.
An equalization reservoir module includes an electropneumatic valve for selectively connecting a supply port or the output of its supply and exhaust valve to the equalization reservoir port.
The independent brake module includes an electropneumatic valve for connecting its supply and exhaust valve as the control input to its relay valve which controls the independent brake port.
A power supply for the controller is mounted on the manifold, which acts as a heat sink. Each of the electropneumatic modules include an identifier at the controller and stores the identifier of each module mounted on the manifold.